Javier Vazquez’s Pitch Selection, 2007 - 2009

I was thinking about the likeilhood of Javier Vazquez's 2009 being indicative of a possible change in approach that may mean he's more likely to sustain the gains made, so I pulled his Pitch FX data from 2007 through 2009 to see if it showed anything interesting. Keep in mind that Pitch FX data is not complete from 2007-2009. First, here's a look at his pitch selection, broken down by season and type. Type 2007 % 2008 % 2009 % Four-seam fastball 1368 59.0% 1727 54.8% 1502 47.1% Change-up 350 15.1% 387 12.3% 474 14.9% Slider 365 15.8% 637 20.2% 739 23.2% Curveball 234 10.1% 398 12.6% 472 14.8% Total 2317 3149 3187 This breakdown screams for pie charts, so here they are. In 2009 Vazquez threw fewer fastballs, while increasing his slider and curveball usage according to these numbers. This next table just looks at the wOBA against each of the pitches. This only applies when a pitch is the decisive pitch ...